Size for walls.



rinrrnn STATES rnrnnr OFFIILCE MAXIMILIAN MAYER, OF ORANGE, JOSEPH EVIGGIN, OF EAST ORANGE, AND ROBERT VJ. CORNELISDN, 0F BIOQBEFIELD. NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 H. B. WIGGINS SONS CUMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

s rzn ron WALLS.

near-nos.

Ito Drawing.

Specification oi Letters E'atent. Application filed July at, 1907.

Patented Nov.l2, 1912. Serial No. 385,480.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that we, MAXIMILIAN MAYER, residing at Urange, Essex county, in the Sta e of New Jersey, Josnrir N. WIGGIN,

" residing at East Orange, in said Essex This invention relates more particularly" to an adhesive coating composition put up in powdery form.- and adapted to be used for coating or sizing or pasting on surfaces covered by paint, enamel, or varnish, glass or glazed or other slmilar S1l1f&C8S,'tO which the common pastes of the various kinds heretofore known will hot adhere satisfactorily.

The object of our invention has been to make a size for walls having, among others, the advantages hereinafter recited.

In order that fabric, paper, or other sheet wall covering may be successfully pasted on a wall to meet commercial requirements. the following conditions must be provided for: The wall mustnot. be too absorbent, because itwill otherwise absorb the water in the paste too much and too rapidly and leave the paste in such condition that it will not hold the paper or other covering. To

prevent such absorption of the water from the paste so that the paper or other covering will hold indefinitely, it is necessary that most walls should be sized, As a commer cial proposition, it is necessary that all walls should be sized. because it frequently, does not become evident for months afterward that the paste has an insufficienthold, and therefore it is necessary to make certain that the covering will not come oil" and for this purpose the wall should be sized. The most'desirable size would be one that will adhere to a painted or varnished ,wall.

- Heretofore there has been no sizing that would satisfactorily adhere to such a wall,

powder to the place of use and or varnish,- as the application of an alkali, after which the excess of alkali on thcwall has been neutralized and the sizing and the custom has been to remove the paint applied. If the sizing-s previous to ours were applied to the walls. and a wall covering past-ed thereon, the covering would frequently and usually loosen under changes in temperature or durmg moist weather. The sizes heretofore painted or varnished used, frequently fail to hold the wall covering under marked changes in humidity or; A commercially deslrable s1ze.

temperature. would be one that could be depended upon to hold the covering notwithstanding such changes. The sizes heretofore used have presented a more or less polished surface for the pasteto adhere to in fastening the covering to the wall. The most successful sizing would be one which would present a rough surface to give the paste a mechanical hold. The most desirable sizing would be one in powdered form that could be shipped as a there put in condition for use by a mere solution in water. The most desirable binder for a size would be one whose thickness or viscosity could be readily changed according to the kind of a wall to which itwas to be applied.

We have devised a size which extensive use has proven to possess the desirable qualities above indicated and'to overcome the faults pointed out. Our'size is capable of Qc'oniposition with many different proportions and with a number of the-elements hereinafter mentioned omitted: but as an example of the composition embodying our mvent-ion which produces very satisfactory results, we give the fol-l0wi ng:one hundred and fifty pounds of plaster of Paris.

sixty pounds of-whiting (sometimes called Paris white).forty pounds of the prepared starchy substance below described, twentyone pounds of finely ground glue, three pounds of gylcerin, one-half to one pound of beta naphthol, four pounds of powdered gum tragacanth, eight ounces of an essential oil, such as sassafras." Thiscomposition is the most successful composition embodying our invention with which we are familiar, butit is only to be regarded as one GIllbOdlment of our inventio i The starchy substance referred to above is a thickening binder of a starchy nature,

. which maybe ground to a powder, yet when mixed with water, either. hot or cold, will forma paste, the thickness or viscosity of.

a which may be varied as desired. Starch in its natural condition would not answer our purpose, inasmuch as it does not form a paste without boiling. The material which We use is, therefore, not starch in its natural condition, but it is made by thoroughly expanding the starch granules (from what-- ever source obtained) either in the presence of Water .or by the'aid of heat, or by other methods. However the preparation may have been manufactured, the granules are to be thoroughly ekpanded soasto form a paste when brought in contact with water, and so that by the addition 'of water in properquantity a pasty mass will be produced without the application of heat or .achemical agent. Having thus prepared the starchy substance, the mass so formed is soluble, or nearly so, in water.

dried and the residue ground topowder. In addition to the starchy substance aboi'e described, we use for bodya gritty or granular substance, such as fine sand or pumice stone, plaster of Paris, or other crystalline, gritty or granular substance, which is iii- The purpose of the glycerin is toretain a certain percentage of moisture and thus soften the size and prevent its drying too hard. The same purpose maybe accomplished by the use of syrup or molasses.

In addition to the starchy substance,

I ground glue is used as an adhesive material. Gelatin or casein may also be used, the

latter preferably in soluble form, 'that is, containing sulllcient alkali, borax 'or the equivalent to bring it into solution. Ne also use a powdered gum which becomes soft in water, such as gum tragacanth. Our size havingthe gritty substance would pull on the brush a lid not be easily and smoothly applied. it it Were not for the gum traga- I canth or its equivalent. This gum becomes viscous. thick and mucilaginous on being trash carith having adhesivcness, add; to the .adhesiveness.

fume the composition, and when this is the case sassafras, bitter almond, or other perfuming oil may be used.

In the preparation of the composition, the solid materials are reduced to the form of a powder and thoroughly mixed, the-glycerin and perfuming oil added, and in tliis'form the composition is placed on the market. It is a substantially dry powder, and to be used needs only to be mixed with .water. To

prepare it for-use, it is suflicient. to. take two pounds of the powder and stir it intothi-ee or four pounds of ivatcr,'acco1cling as it is desired to make a thinner or thicker mixture. The powder is carefully stirred into the water, which latter-may be hot if ile- The mixture .should be well stirred, and it is advisaliile to s'ired, but can be used cold.

strain it before using. The strained mixture may then be applied directly to an ordinary wall, and to walls or woodwork 'when covered withenamel, paint or varnish and to glazed surfaces. It may be applied with a brush as paint is applied, and then allowed to dry.

It will be observed that our size comprises the following principal elements:-First:-

A glue. This glue is any animal material forming an emulsion with water, which when it dries contracts and therefore adheresto the substance to which it is applied.

Second :Our size comprises the prepared starchy substance which gives it body and Third :Our size comprises ingredients to give it a mucilaginons quality. This permits the size towork smoothly under the brush and such ingredients also prevent the size from freely and immediately giving up its'moisture. This prevents the glue from drying too-rapidly and hence from contra'ctingtoo violently.

also prevent-s the size from showing laps and streaks where the successive strokes of the brush overlap each other. This is also an advantage in working on a porous wall. The substance by which this qualityis chiefly given to the size isthe gum tragaca'iith,which gum has a further advantage in that it has adhesiveness in itself. Fourth :Our size comprises the inert matter. When glue alone is put on a surface, it not only dries with a glazed surface affording no mechanical hold for the paste,'but it dries in a film under tension,so thatcomparativelylarge sections may crack and curl up the moment they film is broken at any one point. The inert matter in the glue of our size breaks up the continuity of the adhesive matter or glue, so that each particle of the latter adhe es to the ad accnt surface or particles of inert matter, and no great-body of adhesive matter is formed.

The inert matter 'ditluscd through. the glue has its particles touching each other, so that theglue cannot contract because of the mechanical bearing of the particles of inert ma.tter on each other. Thus, when glue and 1 inert matter aloneare used, a size which is in which but little or no glycerin is; re

quired.

fising the' glue, inert matter and the starchy substance, and omitting the other ingredients, makes a still more desirable size, and one which .is useful 'notwithstand ing the absence of the other ingredients.

The" use of glue, the starchy. substance,

' inert matter and plaster of Paris, 'makes a desirable size without" the use of theother ingredients.

' In each one, of the three sub -.combina-. tions of ingredients of our size above stated,

the gum tragacanth can be substituted for the glue or, used with it.

ents, but without the remainingelements of our complete formula, makes a desirable s1ze.{

. After ,a surface coated with our size is dry,

- 3 itwill be found that paste Will readily adhere "30.

to it, and that ordinary flour paste may be successfully used for hanging wall paper or other similar sheet covering thereon, and

will adhere perfectly thereto.

- Our; size has among others the following advantages It may be applied ,to a por- 'ous wall, and yet, because it does not readily give up its moisture, the wall will not take from itsufiicient moisture to interfere with its capacity to form a good foundation upon which to paste a wall covering. It is so tenacious of its moisture that when mixed 'with, any given proportion of water it'will properly size walls of widely different clegfees of porosity, and thus it forms such a safe foundation upon which to paste wall coverings that there'is little danger that the 'wall covering will subsequently come loose. Our size successfullyadheres' to a painted or varnished wall, and thus the usual necessity of removing the paint or varnish is avoided. Our size is so little deliquescent that no ordinary moisture or heat affects it. It will necessarily hold a wall covering through wide changes in humidity and temperature. Our size presents] a rough or corn surface or mat surface, ,which'affords: a good mechanical hold for -the pastel'of the wall covering. Our. size,

being in the form ofa'olry powder, can be readily shipped, and' it does not lose itsqualities under any ordinary circumstances.

- Our size'being soluble in cold water is convenien'tfor use under circumstances. If

- a house which is not occupied or in which the heating apparatus is not completed is being papered, the requirement that-a-size be mixed with hot water may be serious. Our size s not Sub ect to anysuch 1nconvenience. The thickness or viscosity of our size can be readily changed according to the I kind of'wall to which it is to be applied.

In brief, our size has been found to conveniently and satisfactorily comply with all of the varying requirements ofa commercially successful size, so that when appliedand when applied by workmen of varying degrees of skill, substantially uniformly good results are obtained. Our size can be applied to glass and other substances to.

which ordinary paste will not adhere, and

on such surfaces makes a perfect binding surfacefor the paste, and a surface which I will also receive and retain a coat of paint, The addition of lycerin to each of the.

above stated sub-combinations of ingredivarnish, etc; i Various. changes may be made in the above-described composition which, will be within the spirit of our invention. China stance may also be used for the same pur- Having thus fully described ourinvention, what we claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

-' l. A" size for walls inthe' form of a powder, comprising glue, a starchy sub.- stance, soluble in cold water, gritty' fillingmaterial, and a slip-giving substance.

paste, soluble in cold water, gritty filling materlal, and a slip-giving. substance.

-3.A sizefo'r walls in the form of a desiccated starchy paste, soluble in cold water, gritty- 2. A."size for 'walls in the" form of a" powder comprlsn'ig glue,a desiccated starchy ioo filling material, a slip-giving. substance, and

glycerin.- v p i 6. A size for Walls in the form of a powder,

filling glycerin,

for wallslin form of a 12o p I comprising glue, a desiccated; 'starchy paste, soluble'in cold water, gritty material, gum; tragacanth, and

, powder, comprising ifglue, a starchy sub.-

" antiseptic.

stance, soluble in cold Water, gritty filling material, a slip-glvlng substance, andan 8. A size for Walls in the form of a powder, comprising glue, a starchy sub stance soluble in cold Water, gritty filling material, a siip-giving substance, glycerin, and an antiseptic.

9. A size :t'0r alls in the form of a l' o-powde'r, comprising glue, :1 desiccated MAXIMILIAN MAYER. JOSEPH N. WIGGIN. ROBERT .W. CORNELISON.

id itnessesz JOHN R. WINANS, ANGELA C. BURKE. 

